Dear Mani

I would wonder if I could write a poem everyday for you

Or maybe just write one about life too

It would seem like a veil of romance floating into the winds 

Landing on us and covering us in a weave of words

Words are but

Shallow, often contorted by poets

The millions of modernism bound poets puking charades

Of things like love they cannot even fathom

So love, what could I do with you around everyday

Maybe send you away for a bit, and feel the clawing at my nerve

For you seem to drug me into a calmness

Like the vast silent darkness of space 

They make everything seem beautiful set in motion

They are now the definition of what I call home

My home, and it travels in your soul 

So maybe a poem everyday is not a good idea

Maybe I will send you prayers, every time you are away far

Hoping my ability to write poetry or whatever it ends up becoming

Drags your soul back

And you wrap your arms around my chest 

holding me tight, breathing into my hairy chest and complaining it tickles your nose

Whereforth have you gone

When you sat beside me, and I rested my head on your chest

You offered me no consolation, but a gift of distance

A distance so wide that even my soul would tire treading

Yet I know this light of my soul is but a breath of you

As you walked away from me, you did not turn around

Knowing it could hurt me more

Yet I so wish you had for that would have been another glimpse

Of a face these eyes have seen and wish to see nothing but

I have dissolved the dust in each footprint

Smeared it to my body, drank it 

To be one with you, in my uncontrollable sadness

Yet you have not sent a word, nor appeared

I am bound to this air you have exhaled

Whilst you had held me close in an amours embrace

My eyes have burnt its vision staring down the road you walked

And for your longing is an endless torment

Yet you have never sent a word, and knowingly so

Where shall I end and how can I end

For I have died every breath, and the hope of a chance meeting 

Keeps me breathing

Knowing this is a folly, but to be wilfully fooled

This absence of you, has even made pain cry for its deliverance from hurting me.

Forward unto a myth called Slumber

Summer nights, somewhere a lone toad croaks amidst the drying marsh

Echoing company into my solitude

The buzz followed by itch is a summer treat

Only till May, then the squirming black progeny die and I rejoice

No more blood to be given, until June then

The electric wind doesn't soothe and sounds loud

As I lie awake, being detached and starved

Of sleep, which would have forever rained on me, but for this long dry spell

I am allowed, I am aloud, I am loved or not then who cares

My eyes burn and the bed is warm, too much for my comfort

It is off putting, go away heat come in November

I shall embrace you then, now leave

I am trying to find my sleep

Some time l half past three, 

I drift and dream of the sea, of broken dreams

And sunken hopes, 

Somewhere in between them are entombed 

My nightmares and they have waited for hours

## Analysis of "Forward unto a myth called Slumber"

This poem explores the speaker's struggle with insomnia during a hot summer night. Here's a breakdown of its key elements:

**Themes:**

* **Insomnia:** The central theme is the speaker's desperate search for sleep. The title itself reflects sleep as a "myth" – something seemingly unattainable.

* **Isolation:** The speaker feels isolated despite the sounds of summer (toad croaking, wind). Sleeplessness intensifies this feeling.

* **Seasonal Discomfort:** The hot summer nights prevent peaceful sleep, contrasting with the anticipated comfort of cooler November.

**Imagery:**

* **Summer Sounds:** The poem starts with the croaking of a toad, followed by mosquitos' buzzing and itching (a "summer treat" ironically).

* **Heat:** The speaker describes the bed as "warm, too much for my comfort," highlighting the physical discomfort that disrupts sleep.

* **Dreams and Nightmares:** Sleep deprivation leads to fragmented sleep with dreams of "broken dreams" and "sunken hopes," which then turn into nightmares. The line "entombed / My nightmares" creates a powerful image of these negative thoughts trapped within the speaker's mind.

**Figurative Language:**

* **Metaphor:** Sleep is a "myth" and a "long dry spell." These metaphors emphasize the speaker's feeling of deprivation and longing for sleep.

* **Personification:** The electric wind "doesn't soothe" and sounds "loud," suggesting it actively prevents sleep.

* **Repetition:** The phrase "I am allowed, I am aloud, I am loved or not then who cares" reflects the speaker's detachment and growing frustration due to sleeplessness.

**Structure:**

* **Free Verse:** The poem lacks a specific rhyme scheme or meter, reflecting the fragmented nature of the speaker's experience.

* **Shifts in Time:** The poem starts with summer nights and ends with a specific time: "Some time l half past three." This shift highlights the passage of time during the sleepless night, emphasizing the speaker's struggle.

**Overall Tone:**

* **Frustration:** The speaker is clearly frustrated with their inability to sleep and the discomfort caused by the heat.

* **Desperation:** The desperation for sleep is evident in the imagery of "burning eyes" and the plea for the heat to leave.

* **Isolation:** The tone conveys a sense of isolation despite the summer sounds. The speaker feels alone in their struggle.

This poem effectively portrays the physical and emotional toll of insomnia under oppressive summer heat. Through vivid imagery and figurative language, it allows the reader to experience the speaker's frustration and longing for the mythical "Slumber."

Pray tell, why drown in ale

Keep your mug down slowly, it's full

For the ale will spill, and never should one waste

Such goodness of golden yellow in carelessness

Let every drop mix into the blood once consumed

You watch yourself, settle the mug down slow. You think of her and you drinking on one of those random days

You miss those though, don't you?

Keep your mug down a tad slow, it's halfway through

The ale has worked its magic, and made your head mellow

As you speak of her, your tones do seem to enchant yourself but it is all banter to the rest

So maybe talk of something else, but I doubt you can ever do that post drinking

You are lost in her thoughts, aren't you?

You hurry your empty mug down from the lips

You need more ale, for you have ignited what lies dormant and lies to you of normalcy

Your eyes seem hollow, yet it isn't drowsiness or the slurring of your speech that matters

It's her absence, you hold your own hand and twist your wrongs as if to make sense

It makes none, don't we know friend?

You mind always drifts to her thoughts, don't you too?

And then we go home, we think of you drunk as a kite

And the ale shall always make us all spite

Yet we gather and drink, like friends

You , me, the random strangers who join us at the table

You speak to them like old time friends

How do they even distinguish you from who they have known they are drunk too

While you seem to be dead inside, aren't you?

## Analysis of "Pray tell, why drown in ale?"

**Theme:** The poem explores the theme of grief and the use of alcohol to cope with loss. The speaker, presumably a man, drowns his sorrows in ale, constantly reminded of a woman he misses dearly.

**Structure:**

* The poem utilizes three stanzas, each focusing on a different stage of the speaker's drinking experience.

* Each stanza starts with an imperative, "Keep your mug down..." slowing down as the inebriation progresses. 

* The speaker drifts between internal monologue and addressing an unknown listener, possibly another patron or a reflection of himself.

**Imagery:**

* **Ale:** The central image is the ale, symbolizing a temporary escape but ultimately failing to numb the pain. 

* **Golden yellow:** This color choice for the ale suggests a fleeting warmth and happiness, contrasting with the emptiness the speaker feels.

* **Hollow eyes:** This image portrays the speaker's emotional detachment despite the outward appearance of conversation.

**Techniques:**

* **Repetition:** The repeated phrase "You miss those though, don't you?" and "Your mind always drifts to her thoughts, don't you too?" emphasizes the constant intrusion of the lost love.

* **Rhetorical questions:** The questions posed to the speaker and the listener ("don't we know friend?") create a sense of shared understanding and resignation.

* **Shifting perspectives:** The poem switches between the speaker's internal thoughts and an outside observer's view ("we think of you drunk as a kite").

**Overall Tone:**

* The poem is melancholic and introspective. 

* The speaker's attempt to find solace in drinking ultimately leads to a deeper sense of loss and isolation. 

* There's a hint of bitterness towards the ale, symbolized by "the ale shall always make us all spite."

**Possible Interpretations:**

* The woman could be a former lover, wife, or close friend. 

* The poem suggests a sense of guilt or regret ("twist your wrongs as if to make sense").

* Despite the outward camaraderie with fellow drinkers, the speaker remains emotionally distant ("dead inside").

**In conclusion, "Pray tell, why drown in ale?" paints a poignant picture of grief and the futile attempt to drown it in alcohol. The poem uses simple language and imagery to deliver a powerful message about the enduring nature of loss.**